User:Jakjak444

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My reprap journey so far...

About me

A bit about me first, My name is Jack, I'm 20 and in my third year of a Bachelor or Engineering (Mechanical) at the University of Adelaide. I first found out about the Reprap project whilst surfing the net in a very boring lecture in 2012 semester 1. I spent the subsequent 6 months doing more research in my spare time into the Reprap project and 3D printers and then decided to make one.

I completed my first 3D printer aka Mozbot 1 in March 2013, you can see details of it below.

I have started up a small business selling 3D printer parts and providing a rapid prototyping service. Check it out: MorelliTech.

Current setup

Mozbot 1

DSC00144.JPG

Hardware

  • Model: Prusa Mendel i2
  • Smooth rods: Prescision ground shafting
  • Cold end: Gregs wade with guidler
  • Hot end: Budaschnozzle
  • Print surface: Scanner glass on heatbed mkII
  • Belts: MXL

Electronics

  • Electronics: Ramps 1.4
  • Stepper Motors: Wantai & some random japanese ones
  • PSU: ATX
  • Endstops: Microswitches

Software

  • Firmware: Marlin
  • Host software: Slic3r, Pronterface, sometimes CURA

Print settings

  • Material: PLA
  • Surface Preparation: PVA diluted in water

'Fast': What i usually use if im making a printer kit

  • Speed: 120mm/s
  • Accel: 3500mm/s^2
  • Jerk: 20mm/s^3
  • Layer height: 0.3mm
  • Extruder temp: 200 deg C
  • Bed Temp: 45 deg C

Builds

Mozbot 1

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Specs as first made

  • Model: Prusa Mendel i2
  • Electronics: Ramps 1.4
  • Stepper Motors: Wantai & some random japanese ones
  • PSU: Old atx
  • Smooth rods: Prescision ground shafting
  • Cold end: Gregs wade
  • Hot end: J-Head
  • Print surface: Masking tape on scanner glass
  • Endstops: Big old microswitches
  • Firmware: Marlin
  • Host software: CURA
  • Filament: 3mm PLA
  • Belts: MXL (scavenged from old printers)


Construction

550561 10200771849601027 1766195613 n.jpg23012013230.jpg486032 10200771849121015 1936280343 n.jpg

Finished build, now to test it

485965 10200771860881309 874403236 n.jpg


My first successful print (dedicated to my wonderful girlfriend Margot)

625644 10200771866921460 1416542534 n.jpg

Calibration, Testing, Commissioning

Through out my testing i experimented with many different configurations of software, firmware and hardware.

The first hurdle for me was homing in the z direction, i could never seem to get it quite right. Luckily thingiverse to the rescue and someone else had had the same problem, i printed a little clip that allows me to adjust the height using an m3 screw.

Next hurdle was the belt pulleys on the stepper motors slipping. The origional pulleys were scavenged from inkjet printers then drilled out to 5mm and pressed on. This was fixed for a while with some glue.

Next problem i experienced was with the filament sliding off of the hobbed part of the bolt, causing it to slip which ended up in lots of failed prints. To fix this i printed a guidler which works wonderfully. (thanks Greg Frost)


This page is a work in progress